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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2026; 32(31): 117415
Published online Aug 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117415
Letter to the Editor: Methodological considerations for computed tomography-based radiomics models predicting early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma
Seoung Hoon Kim
Seoung Hoon Kim, Organ Transplantation Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, South Korea
Author contributions: Kim SH conceived and designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, performed the analysis and wrote the paper.
AI contribution statement: No ChatGPT, Grammarly, DeepL, or other AI-assisted writing tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript. No part of the Main Text, including the Abstract and the body of the manuscript, was generated by AI. Google Translate was used only for minor language support and translation of text drafted by the author. The scientific content, interpretation, and conclusions were entirely developed by the author. This manuscript does not contain any figures or images. Accordingly, no images were generated by AI. No AI tool was used for study design, data analysis, or interpretation of results. The author takes full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Seoung Hoon Kim, MD, PhD, Organ Transplantation Center, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang 10408, South Korea. kshlj@hanmail.net
Received: December 8, 2025
Revised: January 22, 2026
Accepted: March 5, 2026
Published online: August 21, 2026
Processing time: 237 Days and 23.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Radiomics-based models for predicting early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma hold substantial clinical promise, but their utility depends on transparent reporting and methodological rigor. This letter highlights key considerations - including clear endpoint definition, adherence to Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative-standardized preprocessing, proper handling of feature selection and validation, and distinction between intra-examination and longitudinal delta-radiomics - to strengthen reproducibility and generalizability. Emphasizing biologically interpretable imaging markers and encouraging external validation can further support the translation of computed tomography-based radiomics into robust, clinically meaningful tools for postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma risk stratification.

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